Shaker machine with automatic mold transport for shaking-down chocolate or similar masses in the molds



Aug. 18, 1931. G. GKBEL- ,88

SHAKER MACHINE WITH AUTOMATIC MOLD TRANSPORT FOR SHARING DOWN CHOCOLATEOR SIIIILAR ILASSBS IN THE IOLDS Filed Sept. 4, 1930 Invemar:

'1 f: I v 7 9 6) ATT 0 R NE Ys Patented Aug. 18, 1931 PATENT OFFICEGEORG GKBEL, OF DRESDEN, GERMANY SHAKER MACHINE WITH AUTOMATIC MOLDTRANSPORT FOR SHAKING-DOWN CHOCOLATE OR SIMILAR MASSES IN THE MOLDSApplication filed September 4, 1980, Serial No. 479,755, and in GermanyJune 5, 1929.

Before molten chocolate fed into molds, sets to solid chocolate blocksor the like, it must be shaken for a considerable time, to enablebubbles to escape from the mass.

Shaker machines constructed for this purpose have been arranged in sucha way as to impart a forward movement to the chocolate blocks andagitate them simultaneously. Existing shaker machines, however, have thedrawback that their out-put, in respect of the forward movement .of thechocolate blocks, is greatly restricted. As a rule only 30 molds 180mm.in length can be delivered continuously per minute. However, as the 5newest filling machines for feeding the chocolate mass into the moldshave a considerably higher capacity than only 30 molds per' minute, asingle shaker machii'ic is no longer adequate, and two such machinesmust be 0 installed in order to utilize to the full the capacity of thefilling machine.

According to the present invention, in or der to overcome thesedrawbacks and donble the output capacity, a shaker machine with two ormore shaker tracks, superimposed in known manner, employed together witha mold-control device by means of which the upper and lower tracks maybe charged alternately. The upper shaker tracks are connected with thelower ones by means of rigid stays, and therefore partake of the shakingmovements and in this way only one shaker machine is needed, instead oftwo.

The accom anying drawings illustrate a typical embo iment of theinvention, Figure 1 being a side elevation of part of the new shakermachine, and mold-control device, and Figure 2 a plan thereof.

The shaker machine represented of the known type, in which, in order toreduce. the overall length, a plurality of shaker tracks are disposedside by side or one above another and connected together by means of aturn- 5 table such as E, so that the. molds must follow a sinuous pathin traversing the complete track.

The pairs of superimposed. shaker tracks 0 b b 0 c (Z (Z are mounted ona bed frame a, each of the upper tracks, 6 0,, (l

being connected rigidly to the corresponding lower tracks 6 c (5,, bystays e. The lower tracks 12,, 0 a are connected with shellcrank leversuch as f, to enable an oscillating movement to' be imparted to saidtracks, in 55 kn own manner, by actuating mechanism, not shown. Sincethe upper tracks 5 0 al are rigidlyconnected with the lower tracks 6 0,,(Z by the stays a, they also are caused to oscillate.

The molds g pass from the filling machine (not shown) on to the beltconveyor h of that machine, which carries them along, undcr the fillingmachine to the shaker machine. In order to distribute these moldsuniformly on to the upper and lower tracks, a device is provided, atypical embodiment of which will now be described with reference to thedrawings.

At'the point of transfer of the molds, the filling ap )aratus isconnected with the shaker machine y a movable bridge plate 8?, which mayalso be replaced by a feed belt or the like. This connection ispositively controlled synchronously with the advancing movement of thebelt conveyor 78, in order to transfer the full molds to the upper andlower tracks b and b alternately. For this purpose there is connectedwith the actuating means (not shown) which effects the advancingmovement of the belt conveyor h, a drawbar k which acts on a crank discm which acam Z is rotatable .as one. The crank disc mis. mounted on anupright n. the laterally bent upper end of which forms a bearing 0 foratwo-armed lever p, contacting at its lower end with the cam I andpresenting at its upper end a support for the bridge plate 2'. which isadapted to turn on a pivot 1", on the upper end of a fixed carrier armand bears, either by gravitation or under t e action of a Spring,against the upper end of the lever 77.

When the bridge plate i is in the position indicated in full lines, thebelt conveyor h delivers to the upper shaker track 6,, the first moldcoming along the belt conveyor h being pushed on to said track. On thenext full mold being pushed forward by the belt conveyor h, the crankdisc at is actuated-by in the direction of the arrowv A so as to uppershaker track 1),.

assume the position indicated by the line C D. The bridge plate 2',resting on the upper end of the lever p is thus lowered about the pivotr, in the direction of the arrow B and takes up the position indicatedby broken lines. In this position of the bridge plate 1', the nextoncoming (second) mold is delivered over the brid e plate 2' on to thelower shaker track in. hen the mold has been taken over by this track,the bridge plate 2' is returned into the upper position so that the next(third) mold is delivered into the This operation repeated continuously,assuring a uniform alternate loading of the upper and lower shakertracks I), and b This alternate loading of two tracks enables withoutany further measures, the shaker machine to deal with twice as manymolds as before, in the same time. The existing output maybe increasedto three and fourfold by roviding additionalthird or fourth-trac 5.Thus, by the arrangement of a plurality of superimposed shaker tracks,the output of the known shaker machines can be increased, to anextraordinary extent, without increasing substantially the complicationor cost ofsaid machines. Owing to the rigid interconnection of thesuperimposed tracks, the mechanism producing, the oscillating movementsis just the same as in a machine with only a sin 'le track. Thearrangement of a plurality of superimposed shaker tracks can thereforebe applied to any existing older shaker machine, and the mold-controldevice can also be added thereto.

The design of the mold-control device may difier, in the mostdiversified manner, fromthe embodiment described without depart ing fromthe scope of the invention.

The invention can be applied both to shakermachines in which the shakingand advancing of the molds are effected simuL taneously by obliqueshocks, and to machinesin which the molds are advanced by means of aseparately driven belt. Further it is not essential for the superimposedshaker tracks to be rigidly interconnected. On the contrary, they may bemounted quite independently, in which case each track has a separatedrive.

\Vhat I claim is:

1. In a device of the character described, a plurality of superimposedshaker tables, and means for feeding molds to said tables, including ahorizontally pivoted bridgeplate, a rocking lever engaged with the underface of said plate and means for rocking said lever whereby toalternately dispose the 1 forward edge of said'plate in registrationwith said tables. Y

said feeding means to each 0 2. In a device of the character described,a plurality of superimposed shaker tables, a mold feeding means, and atransfer mechanism for successively deliverin molds from said transfermechanism including a pivotallyniounted bridge-plate extending betweensaid tables and feeding means, a rocking lever having one end engagedwith the under face of said plate, and a cam driven in timed relation tosaid feeding means for melting-said lever whereby to sumessivel alinethe free edge of said bridge plate wit 1 each of said tables.

' GEORG 'GABEL.

said tables,

